Full House Sisters
by Elliot Pole
Summary: DJ's getting married to an Italian, Michelle's quitting college, and Stephanie's a fourthgrade teacher in Montana.  But when their father is killed by a sniper, how will they cope with the disappointment?
1. Chapter 1

**Full House Sisters**

"I'm get married," D.J. said on the phone, calling from Italy.

"Not to Steve again?" Danny queried.

"No, no father. To Ryan Plutarch."

'Wait! Who's Ryan Plutarch?"

"Oh, he's an Italian, and his great-grandfather was a duke. He's a much better man than Steve was."

D.J. and Steve had married when they both were twenty-two, but he fell in love with a sprite lass of eighteen five years later. He couldn't resist her charms, and after she went to Virginia to visit a relative there, he kept seeing her in his cheese toast. Four days later he arrived on her aunt's plantation-style home, and he proposed to her. Being still married to D.J., he could not wed his paramour until he had obtained a divorce. A letter arrived in the mail demanding that such a procedure be taken, and D.J. was overcome with rage and jealousy. But, as a true lover, she let him go. As far as she knew, he was happy with his Amber still.

Ryan had entered her life only three days before they got engaged. It was not love at first sight, but they knew they were perfect for each other when they had discussed their experiences and philosophy. Both were anti-Bush, and Ryan gave a harangue on all the man's vices. He also had two sisters, Jane and Maria. The former was British-born—his mother had married a Welshman before his own father, and Jane was their child. Maria was a lot like Stephanie; she had a mind not controlled by society, and was very fond of children.

D.J. was a screenwriter for ABC Network, working on a new series called _Privacy Walkway. _Most of the action would be set in Italy, so she had traveled there to study the landscape, find the names of cafes, etc. Ryan liked women in the television business, and he was well on his way to becoming a producer. His father had likewise been a host of a TV show, _Quiz Morning, _which was quite popular with the Italians, though he thought _Wake Up San Francisco! _sounded better.

In three days, Ryan had showed her all there was to see in Italy. And on the night of April 5, 2007, they rode out in a gondola together at Venice. Never did two lovers enjoy the experience more. Then, as they were rowing back toward shore, Ryan pulled a ring case out of his pocket, opened it, and asked D.J. to marry him. She was speechless for a moment, then said, "Yes! Yes, Ryan, I accept!"

This was her first opportunity to call her father since she met Ryan, and suddenly she was announcing a bethrothal? Something seemed very fishy about this. "D.J., you've only just met the guy. Vicky and I waited quite a long time before we got married."

"And you'll shortened your happiness. Dad, have you ever read Bernard Jorkin's novel, _The Christening? _The main character, Charlotte Gutain, is in love with Derrick Eyck, and he loves her, but they do not get married until they're over eighty. You don't want that to happen to me, do you?"

"No, D.J. I don't ask you to wait that long, but it's still too soon."

"Soon or not, I love Ryan Plutarch, and nothing you can possibly say will dissuade me from marrying him!" Then she hung up the phone.

Danny was not able to be at his best during the shooting for_Wake Up, San Francisco! _the following day. He looked very sickly and pale. If D.J. had seen him, she might've renounced any desire to marry Ryan, for it was a sight that could draw tears from the most stoic of men.

And that day, Michelle returned from college, to Danny's surprise. "The school year isn't over, is it?"

"I'm not finishing up, Dad. I hate Biology and I don't know why I ever chose it as a major. I'm through with it."

"Now wait just a minute! How are you going to pay for all the loans you took out?"

"Magic, I guess. Look, I'm no better than a Joey Gladstone. I think I'm going to go watch some cartoons…I haven't seen _Pinky and the Brain _in ten years, it seems."

Joey just walked into the room when she said this. "Michelle, don't be hard on yourself. I'm just a slapstick comedian, and you're a Tanner. Hah! A tanner! Get it!"

"That's not funny," Michelle said. She walked solemnly up the stairs.

"And _Pinky and the Brain _has not been airing for years," Joey called after her. "But it'll be back on this October."

"Joey."

"Danny, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

"There's a time to be serious and a time to make jokes. Now is one of the former."

"Okay."

"I really don't know what to do. D.J.'s getting married to an Italian, and Michelle's quitting school. I can't influence them to chance their minds. I have a gut feeling that something very bad is going to happen."

"Look on the bright side: Stephanie's doing well."

"No; she's not. She wanted to be a novelist, and all she's done was become a fourth-grade teacher in Montana."

"Well, you know art doesn't pay."

"Neither does teaching. I have no idea how much longer she'll be able to remain there."

"You worry too much, Danny. Go out and enjoy yourself." He had no idea that those would be the last words he would ever say to his friend.

Danny got for a drive in his red convertible, and went to the Golden Gate Bridge. He rode across it once and then back. Vicky was on his mind, too. Why hadn't he ever married her? He could not remember. Life seemed so pointless—everything was falling apart, his hair was coming out. Of course, he was not obsessed with his hair like Jesse. Nevertheless, he felt ashamed.

He got out of the car and took a stroll. How would Michelle pay her loans? What was she thinking of quitting for? Did she not realize the debt she'd be in for the rest of her life? And D.J…she'd be sure to regret the decision to marry Ryan. He had to be some sort of Don Juan—the second her back was turned, he'd go after some other lass, just as Steve had done. Drat that Steve! Think goodness he was in Florida, or Danny would've strangled him for allowing his daughter to throw her life away. If he could borrow John Titor's time machine and find a…

But no more thoughts ran through Danny's mind, nor would they ever again. For at that precise moment, a sniper randomly shot through the crowd thirteen times, and one of his victims was this selfsame Danny Tanner, who had brought so much joy to the homes of morning television viewers, and even more happiness to his own family.

Three days later, _Wake Up, San Francisco! _had a special where they showed pictures and funny moments throughout Danny's career with them, in honor of the man. Becky was in tears and could barely speak. So a young woman who was about her age when she started, delivered a eulogy that was well-received. Now it was up to the Tanner family to find ways to cope with the loss of that father.


	2. Chapter 2

**hereFull House Sisters**

**Chapter Two**

DJ called the day after her father's death, and Joey answered.

"Hello. Is dad around?"

"I'm afraid not, Deej. He's gone."

"Gone where?"

"To his next life."

"You don't mean he's…" She dropped the phone and fainted.

Ryan ordered a maid to get some smelling salts to bring her back to consciousness. It took a while, but when the was accomplished, she smiled up at him weakly and said, "Father's gone." Then she fell into a deep sleep.

Michelle drove to the hospital where the doctors tried in vain to revive him. "If I ever get my hands on that sniper, he will pay!" she said, crying bitterly.

Nicky and Alex came over to comfort her. Alex was attracted to his cousin and wished that their relations could be more intimate. He wanted to be her spaniel, like the girl in _A Midnight Summer's Dream. _Sometimes he remembered with fondness the time when he was very young, and she had ordered him and his brother about as if they were slaves.

Michelle had never shown any preference for either Nicky or Alex. She liked them as only cousins can know, but if she had known about Alex's crush, she would've slugged him and never permitted him to comfort her.

Joey sent an e-mail to Stephanie notifying her of the new hardship that had befallen the family. One of her students was demonstrating her geographical skills with a map on the board when Miss Tanner checked her messages and discovered what had happened. "No, this can't be!" she shouted, to the bewilderment of her pupils.

As soon as school let out, she drove home, thinking of nothing but flying to San Francisco. She had to be there for her family. It was also important for her to see tangible proof of her father's demise before the burial took place. If she didn't, it would be impossible for her to believe that he did not simply move to England or Australia.

After booking her flight, she called the school administration office to tell them she would be absent for a fortnight or so. The lady who answered became vicious. "Miss Tanner, you've had more sick days than all the other employees put together! And now you ask for some time off to see your _dead father. _He is dead, gone, caput! You should forget that he ever existed! People like you make me sick, with all your sweet and benevolent attitudes, caring for the dead. Ugh!"

"People like you make _me _sick!" Stephanie retorted.

"Ooh, that's rich. Turning people's insults on themselves now, aren't we? But I assure you, Miss Tanner, that you will be fired if you decide to take this time off. However, it's your choice. No hard feelings." Then she hung up.

Fired! She had to be lying. It wouldn't be fair! All the hard work she had put into teaching at Molherm Elementary, the late night hours inventing projects and losing sleep as well as time on writing her stories. And now they threatened to let her off if she decided to go see her dad's deathbed! It reeked of corruption, to demand so many hours of a woman's time that she had no room for family!

It had struck her as astonishing that all of her colleagues were unmarried. She had never really thought it was a requirement to be a bachelorette in order to work there, until now. The school's emphasis was apparently based on destroying the family unit. It was not just that she was intending to take time off, but that she wanted to see her _father, _an idea they entirely disapproved of. They were probably against motherhood as well; she wouldn't put it past them. And they were going to inculcate these values into children! Never did any institution seem more hideous or grotesque.

Regardless of the secretary's admonition, she flew home to see the funeral, and arrived at the San Francisco Airport at the same time as D.J., who had insisted on returning to the States with Ryan. "You never got to ask him if he'll accept you for a son-in-law," she told Mr. Plutarch. "If you had been able to meet him, you would know that he earned your deepest respect. He couldn't understand love," she added, thinking how he had refused to marry Vicky, "but I'm still certain a strong friendship would've developed between you two."

D.J. was always looking on the optimistic side of things, which was one of her flaws. But a true lover will give everything to spend her or his life with you _because _of your flaws, not in spite of them. So Ryan agreed to attend the funeral.

Stephanie saw her sister first, and they hugged. Then Joey appeared, and D.J. introduced her sibling and adopted uncle to Ryan.

"D.J. has told me about how crowded it was in her house growing up."

"That's right, nine people and a dog. Well, at least you knew there was always someone to talk to, even if he had fur and four legs."

"Yes, you must be the comedian uncle," Ryan said, laughing.

"Well, I'm as close to being her uncle as Jesse is, I suppose."

"Really, what's it like living under one roof with so many people? D.J. tried to give me an idea, but when you listen to a lover, you find it kind of hard to put pictures to words."

"Oh, well, it wouldn't be much more difficult than living in Benjamin Franklin's family."

Ryan didn't understand the joke, and communicated as much to Joey. "I forgot for a second. You're Italian, and only have an inkling of who old Benji was. Just the other day I heard a girl from England say that he killed himself by using a kite and key to discover electricity. Well, he had sixteen brothers and sisters, so you can imagine how his life must've been."

"Only vaguely," Ryan said.

Then Joey tried to make more allusions, but they all failed to hit their mark. He found it too impossible to convey the idea of a large family to someone else, especially someone like Ryan, who had experienced a nuclear family with only three children and a mother who hardly spent three nights a year at home.

They arrived at the house, and Michelle opened the door. She thought Ryan very handsome, but she never coveted anything her sister possessed. Ryan kissed her hand, as his father had taught him to do when he met strange ladies, not knowing that this custom was foreign to Americans. This faux pas did more than cause him a great deal of chagrin; it also made Alex very jealous. Michelle had never permitted him to kiss her hand, so why should a complete stranger assume he had the privilege?

Jesse made a fair impression on Ryan as well, even though he said the most morbid thing that night. "It's too bad we have to meet on such terrible events as these. Hopefully death will have a kinder deal for us, and not sunder us from each other as abruptly as they took Danny." After saying this, he broke down in tears.

Becky was not so lucky. She had just been icing a funeral cake when she shook Ryan's hand, forgetting that her own was covered in frosting. This was a blunder even more obtrusive and unwelcome than Ryan's kiss was to Michelle, and it was not until well after Ryan and D.J. were married that Mr. Plutarch was able to forgive her aunt.

Three days later, the funeral was held. The attendee list was staggering: everybody from Tanners that Danny's daughters never heard of to fans who had seen him on television. Some people wondered who would replace him; the young lady who had delivered his eulogy was rather favorable, but it would be awkward watching _Wake Up San Francisco! _with two female hosts. If she was accepted, Becky would have to be booted.

D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle all gave their own poignant account of their father's life, and all the wonderful things he did for them. Joey tried to lighten the mood with a few jokes about Danny's obsessive compulsive behavior in keeping his home sanitary, but when that failed, he simply said, "He was a remarkable man for remembering dates. For instance, he could tell you that on June 16, 1977 your dog died of consumption. Or on April 4, 1984, you bought a drum set at a garage sale. Or on November 23, 1989, you drove a car into the kitchen window." Stephanie blushed when he said this. "If there was ever a man who believed that cleanliness was above godliness, it was Danny Tanner."

When it was Becky's turn, she almost could not speak through her tears. At last she choked them down, and said, "There never was, nor will be, a man like him. He always brought sparkle to life, a little dash. He made us feel clean, and he taught us to cherish life. I don't know how I'll be able to manage without him."

A week later, Becky was fired, and the young woman replaced her, with a man named Norton Mailer taking Danny's place. They were an instant hit, and ere long people forgot all about the former two.

Stephanie returned to her home in Montana, only to find a pink slip in the mail. She was now one of the unemployed. Unable to pay for her apartment, she called on Uncle Jesse for help, which he was glad to do, though only the last bill. She moved back to California.

Michelle was adamant about not returning to college, especially since Danny was gone now. No one took any notice of the fact that she had firmly made up her mind _before _his death. However, the creditors she had borrowed from would surely be seeking repayment within a few months. With a foreboding countenance, she went out into the town to seek a job.

D.J. stopped making plans for her wedding. Ryan began to get worried, and one night, while at a spaghetti restaurant, he asked her is she still wanted to marry him.

"I don't know, Ryan. Life is just so dastardly. I have already lost my father; do you think I could stand losing you too?"

"But, Deej, if you marry me, I'll be able to provide for you and your two sisters as well. We'd have to live in Italy, of course, but that's no burden."

"You can't meet all of our needs."

"But I assure you that I can! Look, I just got a letter from Florence: an uncle of mine died recently, and he left me a fortune. And Deej, believe me when I say that there is nothing in this world I'd rather do than give you and your sisters a pleasant life. One has been fired and the other's in debt. If we marry, they'll be able to have worry-free lives, which is more than your father could've offered them."

"He wanted them to be independent!" she cried, indignantly.

"And they shall be. They will be allowed to follow their dreams, and from my few encounters with your sisters, I have discovered that they are not ones who deserve to waste their lives with regret. Stephanie wants to be a novelist; this is her opportunity. Michelle yearns to breed horses; I say let her! And you, you're waiting for your big break. I promise that if you continue with your plans to marry me, you'll become the most famous TV screenwriter of our era. So, what do you say?"

"I say, why not?"


End file.
